Family Study
by Literary Litany
Summary: Yelena's going on a trip to visit her parents, and she's determined to drag a certain wily spy with her. Between a reluctant Valek and an eccentric family will she have enough to do to keep her out of trouble? Or will the Soulfinder find danger once more?
1. Chapter 1

**Family Study**

By _LiteraryLitany_

Chapter 1: Hello, Love.

Valek sat perched in the rafters of the cottage and enjoyed watching Yelena's tired, graceful movements as she put away the contents of her pack. Upon closer inspection, the weariness appeared more emotional than physical. She kept the spry, graceful energy of an acrobat. In addition, he had noticed Yelena kept tugging at the hair that hadn't yet grown back to her shoulders with a mournful expression. He couldn't help but grin. A sure sign she missed him.

Slipping soundlessly down to the floor, Valek arranged himself in a slouched position on the couch in front of the fire while she busied refilling the vial of Curare that she kept stocked in her bag. He'd have to ask her how she'd managed to use so much on a "peaceful" trip to visit her parents.

Yelena turned around, and when her surprise faded, he could see from the way her eyes swept his form, questions would have to wait. He was glad he'd broken with his principles about vanity to properly groom himself before coming to see her. The impressed, bordering on dazzled look in her eyes made all the discomfort worth it.

"Hello, love." He couldn't quite keep the husk out of his voice that her look had triggered. For once he let her approach him, not entirely trusting his legs under the burning light in her eyes.

She bypassed subtleties and slipped right into his lap, fitting snuggly and making his blood pump in his ears. "How's the Commander?"

He hadn't expected the question, but then, Yelena had a gift when it came to surprising him. "Quite well." He said, slipping his arms about her waist, relishing in the feel of her warm, feminine curves. She also had a gift for other things, which she reminded him of as she bent to press a blood-searing kiss to his neck.

His pulse grew louder in his ear, and as always with Yelena, his thoughts blurred as if from poison. "Mm." She hummed against his skin, and he agreed, inhaling her lavender scent with that heady musk of pure Yelena lurking beneath. "How long can you stay?"

It was frustratingly hard to follow these leaps in conversation she made when her mouth kept tasting his skin. "At least a month." He said with satisfaction, then, tired of remaining passive to the ministrations of her lips on his neck, Valek's hands secured a grip that had her gasping and flipped them both to a more prone position.

Then he kissed her and made sure she wouldn't be asking anymore odd questions the rest of the night.

~*~

The next morning, Valek was disconcerted to wake with no woman in his arms. He found her in the stables, brushing Kiki and feeding the other Sandseed horse, who he had "acquired" as his personal mount through the confusing months spent restoring order to Sitia. His sense of unease grew. "Yelena, love, what are you doing?"

She smiled at him while she fed each horse a treat. He recognized the twinkle in her eyes. It always signaled Yelena with a plan, which for once wasn't a reassuring thing to see. "Just tending the horses." She replied innocently, securing the last of the bags and brushing past him and back into the cottage. He followed, seriously considering cutting whatever losses he seemed to have accumulated before he found out what that gleam meant. She'd already packed his horse for him.

But she paused to kiss him, and all thoughts of leaving fled his mind as he watched her fumble to make them a good breakfast. His lovely heart mate may be a powerful Soulfinder, but she struggled a bit with cooking anything more complicated than travelling fare.

He smiled as he perched on the arm of the couch and watched her efforts.

"You haven't asked me about my trip yet." She said, in that tone somehow only women managed, that only a simpleton would mistake for a rhetorical statement.

"How was your trip, love?" He asked obediently.

A fierce glint in her eyes when she glanced up from her work and directly at him gave the unnerving impression that he'd just sealed whatever fate she had in mind for him and their horses.

"Well, it started out bad. Should have been a warning there." She flipped the eggs onto two plates and the warmed rolls next to them.

"Bad?" Valek prompted, curiosity overcoming his unease. He'd personally seen to it that she made it out of the clan territory without so much as a hiccup, even if she hadn't known he was there.

"Well, my heart mate was called away because the Commander was in _grave_ peril. It's a relief to know he's _quite well_ now." She said, pinning him with a deadpan look as she swept over to offer him his plate. He wished he'd watched her closer to see if she'd put anything "extra" in the food. He wasn't sure if he'd anger her more by testing the food for poison first.

She'd set the trap quite well, and he didn't doubt she'd probably seen through his excuse about an urgent mission when last he'd left. And from the look on her face she'd also guessed his reasoning. Her visit to her family, which had it not been for his swift departure, would have included him.

And for a long list of reasons, some of which he barely admitted to himself, having a nice long visit with Yelena's family was far from appealing to him. The significance of the packed horses was now all too clear.

"Yelena…" He said slowly, glancing apprehensively down at his plate. She ignored him and swept over to sit on the couch. Silently he sat next to her, resisting the memories of what they'd done to each other on that couch the night before so he could try to think his way clear of Yelena's plans. Somehow he didn't think leaving before she could drag him along was going to help him in the long run. He needed a more permanent solution.

"What did you pack the horses for?"

"A trip to my parent's. For _both_ of us." Her expression dared him to disagree.

"I thought you already visited them." He said, pure innocence.

She looked disgruntled. "I didn't even make it to Booruby."

The fact she had had to refill the vial of Curare returned to his mind. "Trouble?"

"No," She said defensively. "Why do you assume it was trouble?"

Not one to reveal his sources, Valek gave her a sardonic grin. "It is you we're talking about, love."

She grumbled something under her breath, and he had to prompt her again before she returned to her explanation. "Every town I entered wanted to throw me a feast." She sounded as if this were a personal insult. "The Great All-Powerful Soulfinder here to cure our ills and bless our town." She intoned with false gravity, gesturing dramatically with her fork. He simply raised an eyebrow. She blushed. "Well, sure, it's nice the first time, but after that…" She trailed off with a shudder. "I had to make speeches."

The thought of Yelena forced address a crowd of happy villagers would have had him laughing if she didn't look like she'd skin him if he tried.

Then she ducked her head. "…So I came back here to borrow one of your disguises."

He eyed her normal, Yelena-like appearance. "You couldn't find where I kept them, could you?"

She looked affronted. "Of course I could." He simply looked at her until her face turned red. "With Kiki's help." She finally admitted.

He'd have to remember to give that horse another peppermint. Valek got a feeling she saved Yelena almost as much trouble as he did. He might feel jealous, if he wasn't happily certain there were many things he could do that the horse couldn't.

"So you found the disguises…?"

"And they worked." She didn't seem happy about it.

Valek sighed. "How so?"

She shifted in mild embarrassment. "I apparently resembled a well-known thief."

He raised an eyebrow. "And that doesn't count as trouble?"

Her shoulders slumped a bit. "It was some kids who caught me."

Valek paused, exerting a self-control that was harder earned than any of the medals of his dress uniform. Not so much as a strangled chuckle made it past his lips.

She eyed him defensively anyway. "It's not like I can go using my self-defense tactics on a ten-year-old!" Her expression shifted, bad news for him. "However, the delay did allow news to reach me of how the _infamous_ Valek saved a baby from a runaway wagon in a village mysteriously in the opposite direction of the Commander's castle."

He scrubbed his face, unsure whether the chagrin came from the trouble that put him in with Yelena or the frighteningly heroic tone of that story. How was he supposed to maintain a reputation for good assassin work with stories like that floating around?

Yelena's frown deepened. "You haven't touched your food."

Valek regained his composure and calmly tested the food for poisons before eating. She scowled at him. "You think I'd poison it?"

"Of course not, love." He said soothingly, but a sardonic sparkle lit his gaze and she considered him with narrowed eyes.

"It's not a bad idea, now that I think of it." She mused, flashing him a dangerous smile.

He remained stony-faced. "Keep in mind who taught you everything you know, love."

She flashed him a heated look, but it was mostly amusement. "Is that a challenge?"

He couldn't help it and grinned. "So long as you remember, turnabout is fair play."

She waved a hand dismissively. "I never play fair, Valek."

Setting aside his plate and wrapping his arms around her waist, his lips wasted no time in finding her neck. "You did learn from the best."

~*~

Author's Note: Okay, I've had this little gem in my archives for awhile now, and I'm just posting it now (mostly because finally has a Study section) and no, that doesn't mean the fic is finished. I have about the first two chapters done, and once I get into the thick of it it's always harder to write so I may be a bit slow with updates, but they *will* come. This opening chapter's probably a bit long but I loved the ending here. Anyway, hope you enjoy!


	2. Chapter 2

**Family Study**

By _LiteraryLitany_

Chapter 2: Some Interesting Rumors

* * *

Despite his attempts at distraction and negotiations, Yelena didn't budge, and he also rather disappointingly failed to postpone the trip for another day. They left late though, with the afternoon sun glaring down at them though most of their initial travel southeast toward the Avibian Plains.

Valek spent most of the ride either probing Yelena for details of her capture at the hands of the gang of children or quietly considering the road ahead. He kept his mind from the purpose of their journey, deciding to avoid the unpleasant thoughts as long as possible.

But he simply wasn't used to not thinking of a problem, and it didn't work for long. He remembered too well the last time he'd seen Yelena's parents. It had been at the Citadel mourning for their daughter a second time. That long time spent in painful uncertainty over whether she was lost forever to him as well.

The wound from those months was still fresh despite the time past and the present closeness of Yelena, whole and unharmed and most importantly _his_. He had tried to not let it show, but Ari, Janco, and the Commander all had noticed the difference, hence this long stretch of a more leisurely schedule. He had been all but ordered to delegate the running of his spy network to Janco, his dirty work to Ari, and the more regular duties of Ixia to Maren. He had enjoyed the freedom at first, but the sense of not having quite enough to do was beginning to settle like an itch between his shoulder-blades.

He almost found himself hoping Yelena would find a way to get them into trouble. Not that he couldn't handle some of that himself, but it was much more interesting if the problems were as new and complicated as her previous catastrophes.

His eyes settled on the place at the horizon where the Illais jungle would eventually emerge. Where Yelena's family waited. The thought of family always tightened the muscles in his gut. He knew exactly how well family could be used against you. How much it could hurt. However, he also lacked experience in the finer points of _being_ family.

It had been so long since he'd been the scrawny boy who'd so looked up to his older brothers. He'd done so much since then. Changed much, yes, but perhaps the scrawny boy was still in him somewhere. In tatters for sure, but still there. If anyone could bring him out, it would be Yelena.

…Who it seemed was in the midst of trying to poison him more literally than usual if the faint scent coming off the warm stew she handed him was any indication. The smell wasn't one he recognized specifically, but that was what made it such a dead giveaway. He'd have to get the recipe out of her once he'd found his way around eating her concoction. No need to nettle her pride openly this early in the trip.

He made sport of distracting her enough to dump the soup, and even "accidentally" spilled hers in the process. Being the gentleman he was he of course offered to refill both bowls himself. No doubt she suspected his clumsiness for what it was, but she couldn't be prickly about it if he didn't rub it in her face, so the rest of the evening was companionable and only slightly more competitive that usual.

When they were both warm in her cloak he looked thoughtfully at her face in the firelight and ran his fingers through the short but ever-growing hair, finally asking a question that had been puzzling him. "You being so determined about me meeting your family seems a bit of a break for you, love."

She smiled with a quirk of humor as she thought of a response. "It is, or would be, except you haven't put my mother into the equation."

He did, and it seemed much more clear. And nerve-wracking. "She really wants to meet me?"

Yelena sighed, her cool fingertips coming from nowhere to trace the scare on his chest. "Sadly, I think it's more likely to be an interrogation."

He couldn't help but chuckle. "I think I've handled those before, love."

She cast him a too-perceptive look. "Then why have you been avoiding it?"

He sighed, brushing his fingers down her neck thoughtfully to linger at her collarbone and make her shiver. "Not very good reasons."

"The great Valek? Lacking in reason?" Her tone was only slightly joking.

"I've been under the influence as of late." He said with amusement, looking pointedly down at her, delighted to faintly discern what might have been a blush on her cheeks.

"But you're okay with going now?"

He considered, then shrugged his shoulders slightly. "My reasons for avoiding the occasion do not outweigh my desire to keep you happy." And avoid your wrath, he added silently.

She seemed pleased and distracted by this romantic assertion and didn't bring the subject up again that night. Giving him time to ponder other things. Like how to get her back for that poor attempt at poisoning him she'd made earlier…

* * *

The next day of travelling boasted a stop at a small market for refreshing their provisions, and taking any available opportunity to delay the inevitable move forward, he offered to take Yelena shopping. She'd given him a suspicious look when he first suggested it, but soon gave into a kind of girlish glee as she peered at the different booths.

That girlish glee only made her selections more disturbing (and amusing) than they would have been otherwise, as she had apparently decided she lacked the number of concealable weapons a fashionable woman ought to have. He decided she must be using him as a goal, and admitted a bit of chagrin at having encouraged the shopping spree. Not because he didn't think she could use the weapons (he was always in favor of Yelena being more prepared), but because they would require that much more time to locate and remove the next time he planned to undress her.

She sent him back to the inn they stayed at with her packages, and the glint in her eye told him she had other purchases to make that he'd have to question her about later. However, it was in the course of his package-sitting duties that he overheard (accidentally of course) some disturbing rumors about a thief who was using magic to get away with his heists in a most peculiar way.

The victims had no memory of the thief, or the crime for that matter. In fact, they were all so utterly confused that it often took someone else pointing out their missing coin-purse for them to remember they'd even had one to begin with. If that didn't sound like just the kind of mystery to tweak Yelena's curiosity, he'd swallow one of the knives he'd just shelled out for.

As it happened, when she returned that evening, he was right on the mark. The second they were alone, each turned to the other and started the same sentence in perfect unison. "I heard some interesting rum—" They stopped, blinking at each other a moment before falling into a fit of companionable laughter.

"So. Are we doing reconnaissance tonight or…not…?" Yelena trailed off, amusement still dancing in her eyes as his arms settled around her waist in silent triumph. He'd found a way to delay her, alright. Or was this just her natural attraction to trouble at work? Either way, despite his own curiosity, he would drag out whatever diversion their little thief could provide. It was against his usual protocol to do that, but what chance did a stray magician stand against the two of them, even when he was keeping their movements slow?

Yelena's accommodating lips kept him from answering his own question, but didn't quite keep him from noticing the bag she tucked under the mattress when she thought he wasn't looking.

* * *

Author's Note: My effusive apologies go without saying. I know it's been forever, but Writer's Block has been my only constant companion for about a year now. That ended about… Last week. Which is where me catching up on all my multi-chaps comes in. This lovely story gets first call, and my Labyrinth fic will follow shortly, if any of you follow that as well. I already have a good idea of what the next chapter's going to look like, and I'm afraid it'll be more action, less fluff. : / And that takes me a bit longer. Still, I'm determined to finish Family Study, and I'm setting my goal as having it done before the end of the year. *fingers crossed*


End file.
